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ST. JOHN’S — Federal Court of Canada Chief Justice Paul Crampton is pushing back against suggestions of bias in the government’s favour following Justice Marc Nadon’s failed nomination to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Speaking at the Canadian Bar Association conference in St. John’s this month, Crampton said recent media coverage of the Federal Court shows “a lack of understanding of the court’s independence

Crampton said there have been suggestions that the Federal Court is a government court and showed the CBA council excerpts of articles that hinted at bias by the court following the Nadon controversy.

“We do think that there is a sure action that’s required” about the misinformation, said Crampton, who urged the CBA to help raise awareness about the court’s independence.

Crampton also spoke against “personal attacks” against judges of the court. “They [the media] need to understand that personal attacks are really inappropriate,” he said.
University of Montreal Faculty of Law Prof. Paul Daly says the chief justice is right to set the record straight.